Paper Thin
by NessaMoon
Summary: Hinata loses in a fight with an Akatsuki and Naruto rushes to the hospital to see her. Completely AU after Chapter 424! NaruHina


I wrote this around November/December, but started feeling horrible to the point where I couldn't write and just lost my confidence. So I never posted it. I've gotten over it somewhat (not entirely, but enough. There's still a couple of things that need resolved) and realized, oh, I have some fanfic lying around. I could post it!

It's my take on how Naruto would react if Hinata and Team 8 had fought with Konan during the village fight so it's completely AU after Chapter 424 (No Naruto coming home to fight pain, no Kyuubi and no confession. Sorry!). If you haven't read one of my fics before, well, I'm terrible at writing fights so I wasn't confident I would describe Team 8's fight with Konan right. I just settled for the aftermath and Naruto's reaction to the event. I hope it satisfies everyone! ^_^

Oh, and if anyone's bothered by Hinata's stuttering too much, I apologize. I thought since she would be weak from the battle, nervous over seeing Naruto and the events that occurred (read and you'll understand) during the battle, she might be more hesitant in her speech. Well, enjoy the fic!

**Title:** Paper Thin  
**Genre:** Angst  
**Timeline:** AU after Manga Chapter 424  
**Summary:** Hinata loses in a fight with an Akatsuki and Naruto rushes to the hospital to see her.  
**Pairings:** NaruHina  
**Rating:** G  
**Disclaimer:** Not Kishimoto. Don't own Naruto. Just a fan making no money off this fanfic.  
**Author's Notes:** If you haven't read the manga past Chapter 420, you may not want to read this.

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"Naruto!! Wait!"

The blond, spiky haired ninja ignored Tsunade and instead, continued to run through the halls of the hospital at break necking speeds. He could feel his heart pounding hard in his chest, not due to running, but due to what Tsunade had told him. It seemed unreal; the Akatsuki invading Konoha, the very thought of it scared him to death. He supposed it was bitter irony that he had thought of just that while taking a break on Myouboku Mountain. He was not amused to say the least.

A nurse was walking toward him, a metal tray in her hands. He moved closer to the wall and slid past her as she yelled, holding the tray above her head so it would not spill. Naruto continued on, despite her angry yells that it was a hospital and the Hokage would have his head for running. The last part he missed because he ducked into a stairwell to head up to the next floor.

The fact that the Akatsuki invaded Konoha looking for him had been bad enough. What made the matter worse was the news that one of his friends had been injured in the attack. He felt his heart contract more at the mere thought. He was supposed to protect his friends, not the other way around.

Perhaps it was good that his friends were willing to do so, but it did little to drive away the helpless feeling he currently carried within him.

He burst out of the stairwell and headed down the hall to the second door on the left at the end. He swirled around into the door and stared at the person currently lying in the bed.

Hyuuga Hinata turned her head toward him, wincing softly as she did so. She did not appear gravely injured. White bandages plastered on her face and arms the only real hint she had been in a fight. In addition to the bandages, a bag of liquid hung up with a cord treading down and into her arm, the liquid trickling down through the cord and entering her body.

"Naruto-kun?" Her voice sounded a bit weak, too, to his ears. She tried to raise her head, but cringed and lay back down.

"Hinata?" Naruto felt his voice crack. He had seen Hinata injured before, worse than this even, but given that Tsunade herself said the fight had been a tough one, he could not help but feel concerned and worried.

Cautiously, he walked into the room and sat in a chair that was next to her bed. He stared at her, unable to turn away, a feeling of complete disbelief still filling him, incredulous that this had actually happened.

She kept her white eyes on him for a bit before looking away, seemingly gazing at his knee or the bed sheet, he was not sure. "I – I'm fine, Naruto-kun. Ano Hokage-sama sa – said I'm going to recover," she said, her voice still weak.

Something seem to give within Naruto and he felt relieved at the news. His heart started to beat normally again and the air of disbelief disappeared, although in turn, he could not keep his hands from shaking slightly. He let out a breath and relaxed in the chair. "That's…good," he muttered, running his hands through his hair. "I'm glad you're going to be okay, Hinata, but…" He swallowed, feeling very apprehensive at the thought of hearing the battle. "How…how did this happen?"

She returned to looking at his face, her eyes bubbling with uncertainty. "Did no one…tell you?" she asked, sounding unsure.

Naruto shook his head. The moment Tsunade mentioned a friend had been injured in the invasion, he had asked who it was and where they were. He took off the moment he got his answer, his concern skyrocketing from where it had been before. He was not sure why he had cared much the moment he learned Hinata had been the injured friend, but he rarely stopped to wonder such things. Better to keep going than to stop and question. The only time he would was whenever he could not keep going anymore.

"Oh." She made a fist, clutching the bed sheet and biting her lip. "Well…you see, there was – "

"Was it Pain?" asked Naruto, interrupting. The thought of that man taking more of his precious people away burned in his mind, threatening to overflow much like he felt before he left for his training at the mountain.

Hinata jumped slightly at the tone of his voice, wincing again, which instantly made Naruto feel guilty. _No yelling_, he thought to himself, quickly. _Hinata's hurt…because of me. I can't yell. Might hurt her if she gets startled._ He tried to center himself, like Pa had shown him back at the mountain, pushing his need for revenge against the Akatsuki leader to the back of his mind.

She shook her head. "No. It – it wasn't him. This one…it was a woman…and sh – she didn't have tho – those black things…on her face. She didn't say her name."

Naruto nodded. "Okay." He felt better, still angry at this newfound Akatsuki who had hurt Hinata, but not like before at the thought of Pain. "So…the battle?"

"She was cap – capturing people and…and killing them…when they couldn't gi – give her the answer she wa – wanted," she said, sounding as if she had already given this account to someone else, maybe to Tsunade or her father or someone else. He did not ask who the Akatsuki was looking for; he felt guilty enough knowing the answer.

"Kiba, Shino and I decided to stop her. We…ano…didn't do too well…at first. She used paper as her weapon and…that – that was difficult to counter, you know." She turned her head, staring at the ceiling. Naruto thought that maybe talking was difficult for her, but as much as he wished her less pain, he also wanted to know how she got into the hospital. The need to know outweighed the wish of less pain.

Not to mention, paper as a weapon confused him. How could paper be useful to a ninja besides the obvious exploding tags and scrolls?

"She – ano…captured us," continued Hinata, swallowing and her face turning red for some reason. A fever, perhaps? "She asked us…about you. Shino refused to answer and Kiba just shouted at her. And…ano…and then…" She squirmed, still not looking him in the eye. "She – ano – got distracted and…and I broke free." Now she turned to look at him, her face still red. "You see, I focused my chakra to my fingertips and…and made sure the chakra was needle-like so – so I could slice through the thinnest part of the chakra paper."

Naruto felt his heart lighten in spite of knowing the story was not done. The idea that she had found a way to beat her opponent thrilled him. "All right! That's great, Hinata!" He grinned, putting his hands behind his head. "You're an awesome ninja, beating an Akatsuki like that!"

Her face turned a vicious shade of crimson as she wiggled underneath the bed covers. "Oh…Hm…Than – thank you…Naruto-kun…" However, the pleased look faded. "But…hmm…we didn't win." The feeling of excitement died within Naruto, replaced by the concern and guilt he felt earlier. "She fought harder and…and there was little we could do then." She closed her eyes, looking as if she had failed. "She cap – captured…Kiba and Shino again and…and for me…" Hinata brought her bandaged arm, trembling slightly and touched one of the bandages on her face. "She…ano…created a tornado…with her paper and I – I was cau – caught in it, you see. And the edges…were poisoned, I could barely move afterward."

Naruto lowered his head, his heart feeling constricted once again. So that was why she was in the hospital. The paper had been poisoned and when it cut her, the poison caused her to weaken. He tried not to think of the possibility the poison could have killed her. He shoved that to the back portion of his mind. "Hinata…I'm…I'm…" Naruto struggled with the words, staring down at the floor, his eyes stinging and throat hurting. _How can I just say sorry to her? She's here because of me, she fought an Akatsuki who was looking for me. I can't just say sorry to her!"_

"You don't have to apologize, Naruto-kun." He looked up at her words, not willing to forgive himself just yet. Her face, however, appeared worried and concerned, which did not make sense to him. She was the one in the hospital and injured; why was she concerned and worried? "I wanted to…to protect you. I don – don't think I could for – forgive my…self." Her eyes widened at the last part. "I mean, if I didn't do anything," she said in a rush, "I – I don't…don't think I could, you know."

"But…" Naruto tried to figure out what to say, but he could not figure out how to express what he was feeling in words. However, one word floated to the top of mind and before he knew it, it made its way to his mouth, out before he could think of not saying it, "Why?"

Hinata looked confused. "What?"

"Why?" he repeated and the rest came flowing out, he barely had time to actually think about what he was saying. "Why protect me? These are Akatsuki, they're dangerous; they could have killed you. Why did you fight her? I'm suppose to… Whoa! Wait! Hinata!"

Hinata had moved to sit up, wincing every time she made a slight movement and making sure the cord on her arm did not tangle up with her body, and then she moved her legs off the bed and onto the floor so she could sit facing him. Ignoring his protests and his plea to lay back down, she took one of his trembling hands in her own. "Naruto-kun…I – I couldn't…I couldn't just stand back an – and allow them to de – detroy our home," she said, softly, her voice a bit weaker than it had before, likely from the moving around. "I'm still…still a shinobi. I – I have to fight people who thr – threaten…" she paused for a second, her hand tightened around his for a brief moment, "who threaten…the village…and the people I…care about."

She looked up, a small smile on her face. "Besides, you weren't complaining last time," she said, referring to their mission before he left the village.

Naruto felt embarrassed. He felt his face get hot and he avoided her eyes, instead staring at the ground "That...that…was different," he said, the excuse sounding lame even to him. He knew Hinata was strong, stronger than anyone thought and she had become a Chunin, after all, but he still felt, unexplained in his mind, that Hinata should be protected, like he was standing between her and the incoming Akatsuki. Why he felt that way, he did not know.

_Maybe it's because the village is such a mess…_ he thought. _I want to protect everyone and the village was badly damaged and I wasn't here to help so maybe that's why I feel this way toward Hinata._ He did not sound completely right to him, but it was better than nothing. "Sorry, Hinata," he muttered. "I guess I'm feeling pretty bad right now. You know, for not being here when the village got attacked." He lowered his head, staring at his hand currently entwined with Hinata's. "I feel…helpless. Like I'm not strong enough."

"That's not true, Naruto-kun!" His head came up quickly at her sudden response, shocked and uncertain at her words. Her face and eyes were distressed, but determined as if she disliked his words of weakness and wanted to change it. "I know you're strong enough. And you're training really hard. I know you'll defeat Pain." She squeezed his hand, her body shaky. "And...and…I just wa – want you to know…that…" She paused, then lowered her head and winced again. Naruto thought she might be hurting again, sitting up like that, but the she raised her head, a small smile on her face. "Everyone…is willing to protect you. We all want to help. So…don't feel bad, Naruto-kun."

He blinked, his breath caught in his chest. Hinata's words echoed in his head and heart: everyone was willing to protect him. That felt odd to him. In his life, very few people were prepared to protect him. He could likely count the number of those people on one hand. His list of precious people expanded, of course, but that was the list of people he wanted to protect, not the other way around. At least, that was not the idea. To have that reversed, well, that was kind of unexpected.

"Ano…Naruto-kun?" He focused once again on Hinata. Her cheeks were slightly red again as she stroked his hand within her own. "You can – you can let…us…protect you, I mean. It's just…friends protect each other, right?" She gazed at him uncertainly, but there was a slight look of something on her face Naruto could not place.

However, disregarding that, Naruto finally smiled. "Yeah, you're right." He placed his free hand behind his head, rubbing the back, sheepishly. "I guess I got carried away." He sighed. "The village nearly got destroyed, people were killed and you got hurt, all because of Akatsuki searching for me. I've known that for a long time, but this is the first time they've been direct about it and…I guess I overreacted."

He brought his hand down and placed it over hers. "But still…be careful, Hinata. I still don't want to see any of my friends get hurt," he said, his voice serious.

Again, her face turned red and she looked down with a smile on her face. "I'll…try. In fact, I'm wor –working on a way to fight th – this Akatsuki woman using what I lea – learned from the battle."

Naruto felt surprised at that, but that quickly gave way to excitement. "Really? That's great! We're going to beat these guys and show them they don't mess with us or the village!" He grinned, his earlier upset feelings of not being here when the village was attacked to Hinata getting hurt in an effort to stop the Akatsuki and protecting him disappearing finally. His face quickly became inquisitive at her possible ideas. "So what have you thoug – "

"NARUTO!!"

Naruto jumped, his hands letting go of Hinata's at the sound of Tsunade's voice from behind. Slowly and somewhat afraid, he turned around to see a very angry Hokage standing in the doorway, her hands on her hips and glaring furiously at the orange and black clad ninja. "I was not done talking to you yet and furthermore, no visitors are allowed for anyone at the moment. And as for you…" Tsunade nudged her gaze slightly to the side, which Naruto followed to Hinata, cringing a bit at the Fifth addressing her. "You are not to be up. Not for a couple of days and even then you'll likely stay in the hospital until I'm positive that poison is gone and the cuts aren't serious. Lay back down now."

Hinata did as she was told, her shoulders slumped in resignation. Naruto, however, turned back angrily at Tsunade. "Don't yell at her! We were just talking! It's not like she was walking around, training or fighting or…" He trailed off from naming various ways Hinata could get worse as he got a major glare of killing intent directed at him from Tsunade. That meant one thing: she was angry and it was not best to disobey her at the moment. He could try, and he often did, but he would be in a world of pain if he attempted to do so.

"I am not in the mood to argue with you, Naruto. I said we weren't done talking. Now, get out here. There are other things we need to discuss." With one last glare, she turned around and stomped to the side, likely to wait him out.

Naruto muttered under his breath about pushy old ladies before turning back to Hinata. "Sorry. I've got to go," he said, disappointed he could not talk more. "Maybe when Old Lady Tsunade relents and lets you have visitors, I can come back!" he added, a slightly cheerful tone in his voice.

Hinata nodded. "All right. I'll…I'll see you later then."

He nodded, got up and walked out of the room, only to have his arm grabbed and dragged down the hallway by Tsunade.

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Hinata stared at the Forget-me-nots in the vase next to her bed. It had been a week since her conversation with Naruto after he had returned from training. It had taken that long for Tsunade to cave in and allow the injured to have visitors. Hinata had nearly swallowed her own tongue when Naruto had walked in with the purple flowers because Forget-me-nots meant true love.

However, as she sputtered out of control holding the flowers in her lap, Naruto had explained he thought he would give her some flowers for her room, but, since his garden was pretty neglected due to his various missions and training, he had stopped by Ino's flower shop and Ino had pushed the flowers onto him rather aggressively. "I wasn't exactly sure," he had said, not seeing her stunned expression and completely absorbed into his story, "but then Ino said you liked those flowers so I figured why not. I think I was going to give you tulips, but if these are your favorites, than you would like them better, right?"

She had calmed down after that. Disappointed, sure, Naruto falling for her would have been wonderful, but if he was, she realized he would not have used flowers to tell her so. She thanked him much more relaxed than she had been when he came in and they talked, mostly about her ideas on fighting the Akatsuki woman, which she still had not come up anything other than it would have to be a Hyuuga who would have to fight her.

The wind came blowing faintly into her room, rustling the Forget-me-nots in the vase and Hinata felt her heart throb as she thought of Naruto's sudden appearance the week before. When he had burst into her room the week before, she had come close to telling him that she loved him and that was why she wanted to protect him so much. However, she hesitated. He was still training to do battle with the leader of Akatsuki and she did not want to distract him from doing so.

At first, she had been uncertain about telling him the details of the fight as she had felt like she had failed in protecting Naruto. Had he been there and nearby, the woman would have definitely captured him. It was only the retreat by the Akatsuki that prevented any more deaths and damage to the village and the knowledge of his whereabouts from being released. Explaining all that, even through she had gain insight into her opponent, had not made her happy.

His obsession with Pain had not made things easier, either.

She sighed. When the part where she and her team had gotten capture came up, she had gotten very anxious. Her opponent had not gotten merely distracted, instead Hinata had shouted something in return for what the woman had said when they refused to give up Naruto's location.

_ "Why are you protecting a demon?"_ the Akatsuki woman had said. "_He should mean nothing to you, especially one that nearly destroyed your village."_

_ "Naruto-kun is our friend,_ Hinata had retorted, "_we care about him greatly. If you think you're going to take him, you'll have to get through us! Naruto-kun's not like the others you've captured…he has people who care about him and we won't let you take him!"_

She blushed at her remarks despite that no one was around. Really, they offered no actual insight into her feelings, but it had been the first time she had spoken about Naruto in such a way, fiercely, determined, without stuttering once or hesitation and so it got her flustered every time she thought about them.

Thinking of that led to how she got free and the praise Naruto had given her when he learned about it. However, that quickly turned to the end of the fight where she had gotten beaten. She knew she should not be taking the battle so hard; everyone loses a battle every now and then. The Akatsuki, however, were a serious threat, not only to the village but to someone she truly cared about, someone she loved.

Naruto had wanted to apologize to her, but she waved that away as gently as she could. To see him so upset over her injuries had concerned her. She had seen him vulnerable before, uncertain that he could defeat her cousin, Neji. But this…it had startled her. She reassured him, that she wanted to protect him. She really could not forgive herself if something happened to him and she could not do anything.

Hinata sighed, sitting up in bed and once again gazing at the Forget-me-nots on the table. _I know why he was like that,_ she thought, thinking of how Naruto felt helpless. _To protect the village is to be Hokage. Having these people after him, to not be here when they came, he feels like he can't be Hokage._ _He has to know…that there are people who will protect him._

She picked up one of the purple flowers, staring at it with a smile on her face. She was not entirely happy at losing the battle, but as Naruto told her last, she was alive, had learned something about her opponent and could plan for the next attack. And Hinata was determined to meet the Akatsuki woman again; as long as Naruto remained in the slights of that organization, she would throw everything she could at them.

A knock on her door drew her out of her thoughts. Naruto stood at the door, a grin on his face and three new Forget-me-nots in his hand. "Hey, Hinata! Feeling better?" he asked as he walked in and headed toward the chair.

She nodded in response. "Y – yes. I am." As Naruto sat down, she placed the flowers in her hand back on to the table. "Hokage-sama says I might get out…may – maybe in a couple of days."

At that, he brightened. It was good to see him so cheerful again. "Great! Then you can start training to beat that woman!"

She smiled sheepishly. "Ah…I – I don't think the Hokage wi – will let me train…not that soon."

"Oh." He pouted. She supposed for someone who trained as much as he did would not understand Tsunade's insistence to relax. "But you can still think of new jutsu to fight her, right?" he asked, his face perking up.

She giggled. "Yes, I'll do that."

"Great!" He rubbed the back of his head, still grinning like a fox. However, then he brought his hand down and stared at the purple flowers in his hand. "Hey, Hinata? Could I ask you a question?" When she nodded, he pointed at the flowers. "When I was coming to the hospital, some women were staring at the flowers strangely. When I got here, I asked Sakura about it and she got annoyed, but before she could say anything Tenten came up and dragged her away. I think I heard her say something about Ino and then they came back and said they didn't really mean anything, but I don't entirely believe that." He looked back at her, where she was blushing. Were their friends trying to set them up? "So do you know what they mean?"

Blushing and her hands trembling, Hinata did not know exactly what to say. She did not want to confess him not now, certainly not in the hospital!. She was still waiting for the right time, but if she explained the flowers meant true love, he would wonder why Ino gave him the flowers and then she would have to explain…everything. Possibly. But could she lie to him?

"Hinata?" Naruto stared at her curiously and a tad bit worried. "You're red…do you want me to get Old Lady Tsunade?"

Immediately, she shook her head. "Nnnnooo! I – I – I'm fine…re – rea – really." Her mind raced of what she could tell him without lying. "Well…it – it means…ano…th – the flowers…they me – mean…ano…" Then she thought of something, a meaning that Naruto would like, but would not directly reveal the real one. "Th – the flowers…the –they mean…a promise…"

Naruto stared at the flowers curiously, a thoughtful expression glazing over his face. "A promise…?" Hinata held her breath, waiting for his response. A huge grin soon adorned his features as he held the flowers out to her. "Okay…Hinata, I promise to get stronger so I can defeat Pain and stop the Akatsuki, whatever their plans may be. And so I can become Hokage and protect the people I care about. But…" he paused, appearing slightly embarrassed, "I'll try not to take all that responsibility onto myself. Oh," he added, his face turning a slight shade of red, "And if I'm ever around the next time you're in a fight, I'll protect you. That's a promise."

Hinata stared at him, his grinning face and the Forget-me-nots he held out for her. Then she smiled. Promises were something Naruto knew a lot about. He would keep them if he made them and if he failed, he would keep trying. She knew he was not making those vows lightly; he never did, he would keep them and never stop trying.

_His nindo…no, our nindo…we never go back on our words._ Perhaps she had chosen a good alternate meaning for Forget-me-nots.

She moved her legs off the bed so she could sit on the edge. Naruto watched her inquisitively as she brought her hands and grasped his so that they were both holding the flowers. "Ano…I – I promise, too. I – I promise to…to get stronger so – so I can be…be a stronger person. And so I – I can defeat th – that woman. To protect the vill – village. And so…so I can continue to – to pro – protect…you."

_And,_ she added in her head, _so one day, I will confess that I love you. I promise I will tell you…one day…one day soon._

Hinata raised her head to look him in the eye, feeling content and pleased. Naruto brought his other hand up and placed it on one of hers. "That's a promise," he said softly.

As they sat there, the wind rustling the flowers in the vase and the sheets on the bed, gazing at each other as they each promised to get stronger, Hinata felt more than ever that she could defeat the Akatsuki woman she faced, to protect the person she loved the most…Naruto.

The End

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Well, does everyone like it?

Thanks for reading - NessaMoon


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